Yemen’s Cholera Outbreak Hits 1 Million

Since April, Yemen has seen 1 million suspected cholera cases in what is the biggest outbreak in recent history, a figure announced on 21 December by the International Committee of the Red Cross. This crisis has been ongoing since October of 2016, leaving more than 2,200 reported dead by the World Health Organization and showing no signs of slowing down. Yemen has easily overtaken Haiti’s record high of 815,000 cases of cholera, measured since modern records began in 1949. The number from Haiti spans from 2010 and 2017. Yemen has passed this in under a year.

Cholera is transmitted by consuming contaminated food or water, and so has become rare in developed nations that can maintain a high standard of sanitation. In the words of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, cholera and diphtheria should be “medieval diseases.” What has allowed the disease to flourish to such an extent is a severe shortage of clean water, food, fuel and health care, and according to the Red Cross “more than 80% of the population” lack these basic necessities. Yemen has reached such a dire state as a consequence of the conflict that has engulfed the country since 2015. The fighting between Saudi-led coalition and Iranian-allied Houthi rebels has killed more than 10,000 people and critically damaged infrastructure in what was already one of the poorest places in the Arab-world.

CNN reported that despite this shocking figure, non-government organizations’ quick response has meant the survival rate has remained relatively high. However, the state in Yemen demonstrates clearly how the devastation of war can be much wider than perhaps originally imagined. Earlier this year, Yemen’s director for Save the Children, Tamer Kirolos, stated that an outbreak of this calibre is “what you get when a country is brought to its knees by conflict, when a healthcare system is on the brink of collapse, when its children are starving, and when its people are blocked from getting the medical treatment they need.” In his words it is a “man-made crisis.” On top of this, up to 8 million people in Yemen have been on the brink of famine, a situation the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Saleh al-Oliby, a freelance photography in the capital, claimed that “people are selling their belongings in order to feed their children.” The country is suffering, and it is a result of the overarching military and political tension in the area.

The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson has responded to the Red Cross by stating one million was an exaggerated figure as it is “impossible to accurately determine.” Both parties’ disregard for human life and the seriousness of the situation must change if we hope to see human rights protected in Yemen. It is not only those on the ground who should be held accountable, but those around the world. The military coalition led by Saudi Arabia is backed by the United States. The U.S. is undeniably one of the most significant international players, and it makes a difference where and how they place their influence.

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